''Ceriops australis'', the yellow mangrove or smooth-fruited yellow mangrove, is a species of

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Rhizophoraceae The Rhizophoraceae is a family of tropical or subtropical flowering plants. It includes around 147 species distributed in 15 genera.Setoguchi, H., Kosuge, K., & Tobe, H. (1999). Molecular Phylogeny of Rhizophoraceae Based on rbcL Gene Sequences. ...

, native to tropical northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It is a common species in the region and although mangroves are threatened by

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

and

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

, the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed its conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

Description

''Ceriops australis'' is a small evergreen tree or shrub growing to a maximum height of about . The growth habit is columnar or multi-stemmed and it develops large buttress roots. The bark is silvery-grey to orangeish-brown, smooth with occasional

lenticel A lenticel is a porous tissue consisting of cells with large intercellular spaces in the periderm of the secondarily thickened organs and the bark of woody stems and roots of dicotyledonous flowering plants. It functions as a pore, providing a ...

s. The leaves are in opposite pairs, glossy yellowish-green above, obovate with entire margins, up to long and wide. The flowers are borne singly in the leaf axils; each has a short calyx tube and parts in fives or sixes. The fruit is pear-shaped, suspended from the shrunken calyx tube. Brown at first, it changes colour as it matures and the

hypocotyl The hypocotyl (short for "hypocotyledonous stem", meaning "below seed leaf") is the stem of a germinating seedling, found below the cotyledons (seed leaves) and above the radicle (root). Eudicots As the plant embryo grows at germination, it send ...

emerges. The hypocotyl is long, slender and smooth, reaching a length of up to . This mangrove is

viviparous Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the m ...

, the propagule emerging from the end of the fruit, falling from the tree and developing into a new plant. It is very similar in appearance to ''

Ceriops tagal ''Ceriops tagal'', commonly known as spurred mangrove or Indian mangrove, is a mangrove tree species in the family Rhizophoraceae. It is a protected tree in South Africa. The specific epithet ' is a plant name from the Tagalog language. Descrip ...

'' and grows alongside it; previously thought to be the same species, it has now been shown to be genetically distinct. The difference between the two can be observed when the tree is fruiting, ''C. tagal'' having ribbed hypocotyls while those of ''C. australis'' are smooth.

Distribution and habitat

In tropical northern Australia, ''C. australis'' is the dominant mangrove in estuarine habitats, its range extending from

Exmouth Exmouth is a harbor, port town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and seaside resort, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe and southeast of Exeter. In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the List of town ...

in Western Australia to the southern end of

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

in Queensland. Its status in New Guinea is less clear, because of the confusion in the past with ''C. tagal''. It does not tolerate strong wave action, high winds or strong currents, but prefers drier sites, with high salinities on the landward side of the coastal mangrove strip and bordering salt pans.

Uses

Indigenous Australians have traditionally used this tree to make sticks for digging and throwing, and for spear shafts. An infusion of the inner bark has been used to treat skin problems, and the outer bark as a dye and for tanning. The larvae of the moth ''

Syntherata janetta ''Syntherata janetta'' is a moth of the family Saturniidae, commonly known as the emperor moth. Description The wingspan is about and variable in color from yellowish to brown or purplish-grey. The wings have zigzag markings, sometimes with da ...

'' feed on the foliage.

Gallery

Ceriops australis viviparous seedlings, Nudgee Creek, Nudgee Beach Bramble Bay Queensland IMGP0940.jpg, Viviparous seedlings Ceriops australis 47792508.jpg, flowering Ceriops australis shrubland Nudgee Creek Nudgee Beach Bramble Bay Queensland P1280502.jpg, Extensive stand, Nudgee Creek, Queensland

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q15388606 Rhizophoraceae Mangroves Flora of Australia